The Great Wall of Lucy Wu

The Great Wall of Lucy Wu is the 2011 debut novel of Wendy Wan-Long Shang.[1] It was first published in January 2011 through Scholastic Inc.. The work focuses on the concept of a young girl starting the sixth grade and dealing with the troubles that come with growing up but also with having a split cultural identity.[2][3] The book is considered suitable for girls age 8-12.[4]

First edition cover
AuthorWendy Wan-Long Shang
Original titleThe Great Wall of Lucy Lu
LanguageEnglish
PublishedScholastic Inc, 2011
Pages320
ISBN978-0545162166

Plot

The Great Wall of Lucy Wu is Wendy Wan-Long Shang’s first novel. It is the story of sixth grader, Lucy Wu, whose life is about to be ruined not only by a long lost aunt with whom she has to share a bedroom, by Talent Chang and her new Chinese school and by Sloan. Sloan and Lucy both want to be the captain of the sixth grade basketball team, Lucy because of her basketball skills and Sloan because of her well developed bullying skills.

Reception

Critical reception has been positive,[5][6][7] and Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center stated that "Shang’s debut novel is a well-blended cornucopia of the multicultural tween’s challenges."[8] The Los Angeles Times wrote a favorable review for the book, which they felt would appeal to "young readers struggling with issues of self-identity, whatever their heritage."[9] The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books also praised the book and commented that "Bits of Chinese history and culture as well as allusions to incidents of prejudice and racism are effectively integrated without melodrama, leaving the focus entirely on Lucy’s preteen and familial experience. Her struggle to determine what and who is important to her will most certainly resonate with young readers."[10]

Summary

Lucy Wu, soon to be W.N.B.A. player and Interior Designer of sporty girls accessories and home decor is an almost 6th grader about to have her own room. She thinks her life is almost perfect: She's finally going to be a sixth grader, her sister, Regina is going to college meaning she'll have her own room, and to top it all off she's going out for captain of her basketball team. While she's thinking she's going to have all of her perfect dreams come true, one of them gets crushed. Her grandmother's sister, Yi Po is coming to live at her house, and guess where she's staying!? Yup, you guessed it! Yi Po is gonna be staying with Regina, in her room, that was supposed to be all hers. Now she'll have to share it AGAIN!

Selected awards and recognition

References
  1. "Interview with author of "The Great Wall of Lucy Wu"". Washington Post. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  2. Odean, Kathleen (June 1, 2011). "Play ball!". Teacher Librarian (subscription required). Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  3. Shute, Carolyn (Fall 2011). "Shang, Wendy Wan-Long: The Great Wall of Lucy Wu (review)". The Horn Book Guide. 22 (2): 367. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  4. Smilan, Lisa (20 December 2011). "Recommended Titles For Tweens Through Teens". Washington Independent. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
  5. "The Great Wall of Lucy Wu (review)". Booklist. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  6. "The Great Wall of Lucy Wu (review)". School Library Journal (BookVerdict). Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  7. "The Great Wall of Lucy Wu". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  8. "The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang (review)". Smithsonian APA's BookDragon. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  9. Carpenter, Susan. "Book review: 'The Great Wall of Lucy Wu' by Wendy Wan-Long Shang". LAT. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  10. Quealy-Gainer, Kate (2011). "The Great Wall of Lucy Wu (review)". Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. 64 (6): 198. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  11. "2012 NCTE/CLA Notable Children's Books in the English Language Arts". Education Week Teacher. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  12. "Waldman, Chang, Shang, Thompson and Young win 2012 APALA Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature". ALA. Retrieved 26 July 2014.
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